POLL: Memorial Day observance

Monday

May 29, 2017 at 11:00 AMMay 29, 2017 at 11:14 AM

How do you plan to mark Memorial Day? Vote in our poll below.

Memorial Day weekend is here and while it is widely regarded as the official start to the summer season complete with cookouts and trips to the beach, the holiday is actually intended to honor those who died while serving in our nation's armed forces.

Previously known as Decoration Day, the observance began three years after the end of the Civil War, and was a day to decorate the graves of fallen soldiers. Memorial Day was declared a national holiday in 1971 and is observed annually on the last Monday in May.